If you’re looking for someone who’s down to earth, inquiring, and open-hearted, please keep reading.

I’m from lots of places—-the northern and central Midwest, the Northeast, Southern California, New England, and, for the past dozen years, Northern California. Maybe we’ve passed each other on the sidewalk somewhere, sometime.

To earn my keep, I’ve been writing about medicine and health for decades. I’m fortunate to feel comfortable in my current job and to like my co-workers very much.

In my spare time, my volunteer jobs have been mostly with kids and the Sierra Club. Most recently, I worked at a place that provides therapy for kids through activities on and around horses. (I took a few riding lessons from an elderly, former rodeo saddle bronc rider/cowboy several years ago, but I'm not an experienced rider.) The most fun volunteer gig I've ever had was reading stories to low-income preschoolers.

Religiously, I’m best described as agnostic. For me, the way one treats others is what’s important. I'm interested in various religions and their histories. I've been an off-and-on meditator over the years, and I think the Buddhists have some really good ideas.

I have a background in classical piano and keep telling myself I'm going to "get my hands back" one of these days. I'd love to be able to play duets with someone who also plays the piano or some other instrument. No piccolos, please, but bring on the brass, percussion, or wilder woodwinds (I love oboe and bassoon).

Being out in nature is absolutely vital to my happiness. The most gorgeous place I've ever been is Yosemite's Tuolumne Meadows in full bloom during the time of the Perseid meteor shower in August. I'm not great at finding my way around in the wild, so a former--I repeat, FORMER--Boy Scout would be a wonderful companion for me (or just someone with a sense of direction).

The man I’d like to meet would be known by his family, friends, and co-workers for intelligence and integrity. He’d be curious, warm-hearted, and have at least a couple of long-term friends he enjoys and respects. He’d be quietly confident and unassuming. If he had a twinkle in his eye and a sense of the ironic, I’d probably start fantasizing--at the very least about what I’d like to cook for him.

I like the “Slow Food” movement’s philosophy of savoring what’s authentic and specific to a particular place. Similarly, I’d like to take the time to develop and savor a rich, deep, and gratifying relationship with one particular man, someone I could cherish.

Thanks for reading this. I hope to hear from you if you’d like to explore whether we might hit it off.

By the way, I'm a Gemini, not a Taurus, despite POF's categorization, if you're interested in that kind of thing. Also, "meankieli" is an obscure language....

PS: Please don’t contact me if you’re:• Younger than 56 or older than 66• A smoker (or former smoker at any risk of relapse)• A recreational drug user• Addicted to anything stronger than coffee, including behaviors• Not financially stable and sound and able to carry your own financial weight• Not a college graduate (unless you're *highly* intelligent and left school because you had something significantly more constructive to do)• Still emotionally engaged with a past love